The Sundered Sea - A 5th edition Dungeons & Dragons campaign

Sunderhold

The City of Sunderhold

“The city. Hmph. Well, its always been there – and I reckon it’ll stick around a good bit longer than we all will. I’ll tell ya, I’ve lived most of my life on these cliffs, but I still don’t think I’m sure I’ve seen all Sunderhold is hiding.”- Dravis Boughdris, guild musician of the College of Faeletan

Overview

The sprawling metropolis of Sunderhold is the sole bastion of civilization in all the lands of Sundren. Several hundred years ago, all the peoples of Sundren moved into the hollowed shell of the city – the architecture still intact following the cataclysm of the Sundering and dating back thousands of years.

Whereas the cities and edifices on the continent of Ur’duryn endured the full force of the Sundering, the Waning Isle was and continues to be spared from the planar shifts and wild magic which still plagues Ur’duryn. The ancient towers, walls, and fortresses of Sunderhold still stand, and the peoples of Sundren now inhabit its walls – no longer an empty shell.

Denizens of Sunderhold refer to the civilization which constructed the city as the Nádr – an all-encompassing term, since virtually nothing is known about the peoples which existed before the Sundering besides their name.

Location

Sunderhold lies across the southeastern coast of the Waning Isle, built along the Cliffs of Eldren which stretch for miles along the eastern shores. The topography of the region features varying elevations and several cliffs, upon which the Precursors constructed the soaring edifices, fortresses, and towers of Sunderhold.

Cutting through the city, the River Eldren empties into the sea through an impressive waterfall cascading over the cliffs known as the Deluge. Regional trade such as timber and crops are often ferried down the river to the Topside docks – a constructed reservoir to divert some of the current and allow ships to moor about a half mile before the waters empty over the cliffs.

City Wards

Nearby Settlements

The logging settlement of Wyham Vale lies to the northeast of Sunderhold, growing around the outskirts of the forests known as the Pinesprawl which rest at foot of the Rimeback mountains. The thriving town uses the River Eldren to float lumber and other raw commodities down to Sunderhold for sale.

To the north, the town of Overlook serves as the main, sustainable crossing over the Everfrost River – a wide, preternaturally cold, and treacherous river running from near Dweomerhome further northwest. While some smaller crossings exist here and there over the river’s run, any sizable caravan or party is forced to utilize the Precursor’s Reach – an impressive arched bridge spanning the river, and another artifact of pre-Sundering architecture.

Nestled within the archipelago south of the Waning Isle, the port city of Vessylgrave exists as a black twin to the glistening Sunderhold to the north – port of call to many of the pirate crews which terrorize the coasts of the Waning Isle and Ur’duryn. The ne’er-do-wells and pirates enjoy relative protection from the navies of Sunderhold due to distance and the treacherous waters surrounding the port – strong, shifting currents and jagged crags jutting from the sea will dash all but the most talented and reckless captains aground. Admirals and pirate hunters begrudgingly seem to “allow” the existence of Vessylgrave – acknowledging that at least the scum is isolated somewhere outside Sunderhold.

The great dwarven hall of Dweomerhome rests deep within the Rimeback mountains to the northwest, constructed at and around the source of the Everfrost River and boasting a thriving economy of raw thaumium and iron ore and fine metalwork which is ferried down the river and caravaned to Sunderhold for trade.